Chapter 366

"Mom!"

The shrill voices of the twins pierced through the grand halls of Mooncrest Manor.

Inside the master suite, Evelyn Thorne froze at the sound of her children's desperate calls. She twisted beneath Dominic Blackwood's weight, her muscles straining as she fought to break free.

"Dominic! Let me go!" Her voice cracked, tears burning at the corners of her eyes.

His grip on her wrists only tightened, his dark eyes flashing with irritation. "I'm not finished," he growled, his breath hot against her skin. "Do you really think they need you right now?"

"It doesn't matter why they're calling for me—they need me!" She thrashed against him, her vision blurring with unshed tears.

Dominic didn't relent. His hold was unyielding, his body pinning her in place.

A tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another. The warmth of frustration and helplessness coiled in her chest.

Outside the door, Lily was on the verge of sobbing. Sophie Mercer quickly scooped her up before she could burst into tears.

"Shh, sweetheart, don't cry," Sophie cooed, carrying her toward the children's room. "Dominic isn't hurting your mom. He wouldn't dare—not with all of us here."

Michael Sterling tested the doorknob, his jaw tightening when he found it locked. He exhaled sharply before lifting Henry into his arms.

"Don't worry, little man," Michael muttered, ruffling the boy's hair. "I'll stand guard. The second that bastard steps out, I'll knock his teeth in."

Henry said nothing, his small face set in a scowl.

Once the children were settled, Sophie and Michael stepped back into the hallway.

"Sophie, you had too much to drink," Adrian Vaughn snapped, rubbing his temples. "You shouldn’t have dragged the kids into this. They’re too young to understand!"

Sophie's cheeks flushed. "Oh, so now it's my fault? If you're so concerned, why don’t you drag Dominic out yourself?"

"I'm not defending him!" Michael shot back.

Nathan Cross scoffed. "Watch your mouth. My boss isn’t some lowlife."

"Lowlife, lowlife, lowlife!" Michael taunted, smirking. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Nathan glanced at the master bedroom door and lowered his voice. "Let's take this downstairs."

The two men disappeared down the staircase.

Adrian checked his watch. "We should head home."

Sophie crossed her arms. "What about the mess outside?"

"Fine, I'll clean it up."

"You better. I'll supervise."

Adrian sighed, pulling her close. "Sweetheart, can you at least pretend to tolerate Dominic for my sake?"

"I can't stand him!" Sophie huffed, stomping down the stairs.

Adrian chuckled. "Evelyn seems fine. You're overreacting."

"Overreacting?" Sophie whirled around.

"Just saying," Adrian raised his hands in surrender. "If Dominic was really hurting her, don’t you think she'd scream for help?"

The group dispersed to clean the yard, but Michael paused, squinting up at the darkened master bedroom window.

"Damn it. Why are the lights off? Did they actually fall asleep?"

Nathan smirked. "Looks like my boss is staying the night. I’ll dismiss the security detail."

"Who said he could stay?"

Nathan arched a brow. "Evelyn did."

Inside the master suite, Dominic finally released Evelyn. She turned away, reaching for the light switch and plunging the room into darkness.